Monday, March 7, 2016

An Exclusive Carmen Incarnate

Bizet’s Carmen

Venture Opera

The Diamond Horseshoe

March 5, 2016

Carmen works her charms on Don JosePhoto credit: Jason Woodruff

Lei: Originally scheduled to have 5 performances of
Carmen in an industrial complex in Crown Heights, on February 18 Venture Opera
announced a change in venue due to circumstances beyond their control. And so,
from a 5-day run in Brooklyn we ended up with a one night only at the Diamond Horseshoe in Manhattan. This venue is known for its production of the
music-acrobatic-dance-interactive-dinner-theater extravaganza “The Queen of the Night,” vaguely inspired by Mozart’s Magic Flute character and, last time we checked (before it closed),
charging $190 for its cheapest entrance ticket. The fact that Venture Opera
managed to secure the Diamond Horseshoe for a Saturday night shows that this
indie company is extremely well funded and/or well connected.

The Diamond HorseshoePhoto credit: Allegri con Fuoco

After making our way through the faux-decadent entrance to
the clubby underground venue (crooked chandeliers, dramatic staircases, peeling
paint, broken statues, piles of champagne flutes), we got to the main space and
it was as stunning as I remembered it. Vaulted ceilings with gold stucco, stage
surrounded by sputnik decorations, leathered and mirrored booths on the
sides and an alchemist-like bar in the back. Oh, and a statue of a jaguar
welcoming guests at the entrance together with Egyptian-looking urns. The only
modifications made to transform the spectacular venue into an opera theater
were rows of zebra-print cushioned chairs, a screen on the side of the stage
and of course the 27-member orchestra on the other side.

The funky barPhoto credit: Allegri con Fuoco

Lui: The musical quality of the performance was all
in all superb. The orchestra under the baton of maestro Carmine Aufiero
in the elegantly intimate space sounded great. They teased out all of the
exotic Spanish rhythms in the score, and played particularly forcefully through
Don Jose’s third and fourth act breakdown. The main singers were also extremely
strong, and the sheer gut-stirring power of their voices came across even more
so given the small space.

L'amour est un oiseau rebellePhoto credit: Jason Woodruff

Mezzo-soprano Kirstin Chávez as Carmen was an intense
Dionysian force of nature, exactly what this iconic character should be: an empower femme fatale who unleashes chaotic sensuality against the bulwarks of the
Apollonian order; a presence that provokes the dissolution of identity,
including her own. Chávez has an amazing voice for the role. It’s earthy, warm,
chesty, sexy. Her singing ranged from lyrical and seductive in Acts I and II to
raw and moving in Act III. She really embodied the role in every possible way,
from the way she moved, right down to the way she took her castanets out of her bra during Je
vais danser, to how she used her eyes, to her uttering off-libretto French
expressions (Allez! Attends! Ça va!) even while she exited a scene.
Chávez definitely has captivating acting chops for an opera singer. Every moment she was on stage she was doing something character-specific. And
the extraordinary thing is that she did not look like she was acting, she just was
Carmen.

It is always refreshing to encounter an artist who is alive
with her talent and it is reassuring to see a singer who has obviously found
her calling. You go to Carmen to see an actress-singer occupy the role body and
soul, and that’s exactly what she did. It is even more of a pleasure to witness
this phenomenon in such a high quality intimate setting. In this respect,
Venture Opera delivered again.

Non, je ne t'aime plusPhoto credit: Jason Woodruff

Lei: Tenor Alok Kumar was a strong Don Jose
and really let loose in Act III, when with his sudden descent into desperation
he forcefully jettisoned his character to the emotional core of the opera. His
sound is manly and, when in full cry, particularly expressive and moving.
Baritone Eugene Villanuevamade for a sexy and charismatic toreador
Escamillo, both vocally and acting-wise. Young Canadian soprano Mikayla Sager was an impressive Micaela, embodying the madonna-like role with a
sound that was pure, lyrical and soaring. Baritone Eric Downs (whom we’ve
seen earlier this season in Venture Opera’s Don Giovanni), reconfirmed his
strong vocal and stage presence and left me wanting for more (he sings only in
the first half of the opera). Soprano Raquel Suarez-Groenand mezzo Shabnam Kalbasi were fine Frasquita and Mercedes, particularly effective in their
trio with Carmen in the tarot reading scene in Act II.

J'irai danser la seguedillePhoto credit: Jason Woodruff

Lui: Director Bernard Uzan worked an ongoing
motif into his vision for this production: love is like a flower and like a
flower it fades quickly. In Act I, Carmen throws Don Jose a flower that hits
his chest like bullet. The white carnation is the nascent origin of true love
at first sight. Shortly thereafter the flower has wilted to a deathly brown. By
the end of the opera, the lifeless flower returns only to be stained with the
blood of Carmen herself. A poignant image that sums up the story. There were also a
number of clever set pieces in Uzan’s direction. Particularly memorable the Seguedille
scene in Act II, when Don Jose has Carmen tied up, Uzan very keenly
choreographed an intricate exchange between the two singers whereby Carmen seduces her captor through an erotic dance with the rope between her
legs. Over the course of the scene she even manages to turn the tables on Don
Jose, as he ends up all wrapped up in the rope in which her wrists are tied. Carmen's preying mantis maneuver was seductively executed. Chávez made it all seem so effortless. And so much of the direction was like this.

Les tringles des sistres tintaientPhoto credit: Jason Woodruff

Lei: There were definitely some nice touches and the
emotional core of the opera was conveyed effectively, however I was not crazy
about the choice to have a screen on the left of the stage streaming the
supertitles and a variety of images somehow related to the scenes (dancing
gypsy hands, tarot cards, prison, mountain, arena, bull, etc.). Maybe there
were technical challenges derived from the last-minute location change, but it
almost felt like those images were supposed to be streamed differently, perhaps
as backdrop to the action on stage? Also, it felt a bit amateurish to have the
singers mime most of their props. From guns and knives to lanterns and glasses
in the tavern scene, the actors played make believe. Considering everything
they put into this performance (this venue cannot have come cheap), you’d think
they could put a little something into the props to make the basics of the
story complete.

The irresistible toreador EscamilloPhoto credit: Jason Woodruff

Lui: As for their Don Giovanni earlier this year,
Venture Opera produced an event oozing clubby exclusivity and delivered
extraordinary musical performances. However, while this Carmen was emotionally
powerful and extremely successful on many fronts, I found it less polished than
the company’s Mozartian inaugural show. Part of this was probably due to the
sudden change of venue two weeks before the event that no doubt forced the
production team to make several adjustments.

Lei: The public was an eclectic mix of usual
suspects, selfie-taking millennials and even some players of the NYC
opera scene (NYCO-Renaissance’s Michael Capasso, NY Opera Exchange’s Justin
Werner and possibly the Met’s own Mercedes Bass were spotted). Also, at
the bar I rubbed elbows with Kristine Opolais (who sang Manon at the Met’s
matinee earlier that same day - by the way, up close the Latvian soprano is stunning). All in all, Venture Opera did it again. A sexy venue and strong
musicians making opera-going the next hot exclusive thing to do in NYC.